72nd San Sebastian Festival - 20/28 September 2024
72SSIFF - 20/28 September 2024
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Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
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Festival Diary
San Sebastián confirms market uptick
Saturday, September 24th, 2011
France’s Films Distribution has sold Julie Delpy’s Skylab, which world preemed in Competition at this week’s San Sebastian Festival, to Spain (Alta Films),Argentina (Alfa Films) and Portugal (Alambique).
Sales, struck by FD partner Francois Yon at San Sebastian and joining impressive deals on FD titles 11 Flowers, Café de Flore and Monsieur Lazhar, underscore that the international sales market, having bottomed out, is enjoying an uptick in prices paid and competition, FD partner Nicolas Brigaud Robert told Variety.
That diagnosis is also confirmed by trading at the 59th San Sebastian Festival, which closes Saturday.
Upscale Spanish distributors that have weathered the crisis best –Golem,Alta Films, A Contracorriente, for example– all made deals on San Sebastián titles and beyond.
Underscoring an ever-sharper industry emphasis at San Sebastián under new director José Luis Rebordinos, some of Europe’s most important players –France’s Wild Bunch, Spain’s Apaches Ent.– took advantage of San Sebastián to unveil significant news: Wild Bunch’s acquisition of a majority stake in Spanish distribution co Vértigo; Apaches’ creation of low-budget label Mapache and TV division Apachete.
On the sales agent pick-up front, Latin American pic specialists –FiGa,M-Appeal– made the running.
Meanwhile, with Spain still taking top honors beside Japan and the U.S. as one of the world’s toughest markets to sell to, Spain’s San Sebastián Fest is emerging as an ever-more important event: the key that turns the door to Spain.
FiGa’s Sandro Fiorin moved Thursday to nab North and Latin America sales rights on San Sebastián Competition title Blood of My Blood, from Portugal’s Joao Canijo. ALisbon family drama,Blood took a special mention Thursday from the jury of San Sebastián’s TVE-Another Look Award.
Fiorin had already announced at San Sebastián that FiGa would handle international on Chilean Rodrigo Marín’s Zoológico.
M-Appeal closed world sales Thursday outside Spain and Switzerland at San Sebastián on Isaki Lacuesta’s Competition title The Double Steps.
Rubbing shoulders in San Sebastián Competish with Skylab,a second Films Distribution title, 11 Flowers, co-produced by France’s Full House, has initiated sales, selling to three high-caliber distributors: France’s Haut et Court,Australia’s Palace Films and Israel’s New Cinema.
After its Toronto world preem, Americano was acquired for Benelux (Imagine Film Distribution),Brazil (California Filmes) and Colombia (Babilla Cine), France’s Bac Films announced at San Sebastián. (MPI Media Group’s acquisition of North American rights to Americano was announced out of Toronto).
At San Sebastián, Golem Distribución closed Spanish rights to Filipino auteur Brillante Mendoza’s thriller Captured. Adolfo Blanco’s Barcelona-based A Contracorriente has taken Spanish rights on Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar.
Also at the Spanish fest, Golem cofounder Josetxo Moreno inked two other high-profile European titles. With Wild Bunch’s exec Gael Nouaille, he negotiated Spanish rights to France’s 2012 Oscar entry, local B.O. hit dramedy Declaration of War.Meanwhile, German sales co Films Boutique’s CEO Jean Christophe Simon closed Spain with Golem on Alexander Sokurov’s Venice Golden Lion winner Faust.
In San Sebastián, The Match Factory sold Locarno Golden Leopard winner Back to Stay to Wiesner Distribution for Puerto Rico.
Abevy of pics came into San Sebastián sans sales agent and played to upbeat receptions: Brit actor Dexter Fletcher’s crime caper Wild Bill, Colombia-set road movie Pescador, from Ecuador’s Sebastián Cordero, and, in Films in Progress, Marialy Rivas’Young and Wild.
The Match Factory’s sales head Brigitte Suarez reported “very strong interest”from Latin American distributors on Benito Zambrano’s Competish entry The Sleeping Voice.
There were also warm reactions for Ignacio Ferreras’senior citizen buddy comedy Wrinkles, the top-ranking Spanish pic through Friday in San Sebastián’s new directors’ Euskaltel Youth Award, and for David Trueba’s 6 Sales-repped period chamber piece Madrid, 1987.
Industry attendance climbed 13% from 2010’s 984 accreditations at the Festival’s Industry Club to 1,117 this year.
Films Distribution’s Brigaud Robert argued to Variety that the international market has now gained in visibility and stability. Distributors “have started to ascertain the revenues they can derive from DVD/VOD. In Europe at least, the issue of Release-costs for digital cinemas has been clarified.”San Sebastián still remains a festival hub for movies and professionals from Spain and Latin America, said The Match Factory’s Suarez.
Rebordinos has announced that he hopes to launch a significant Europe-Latin America co-production forum at 2012’s San Sebastián.
He already has a basis on which to work.
JOHN HOPEWELL, EMILIANO DE PABLOS
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